2021 MOVIE DRAFT- ROUND 2-PICK 3- THE HINOEUMA SELECTS- GREASE

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Grease IMDb Amazon Image

Image Credit: IMDb & Amazon

2021 Movie Draft- Round 2 Pick 3- The Hinoeuma selects- musical- Grease.
The Hinoeuma’s blog can be found at -https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/95675156

Category: Music/Musical
Film: Grease

I don’t think I need to provide a trailer or to hack out a plot or synopsis on this one but, you might find the trivia interesting. I did my own post back in 2018.

I was 11 years old when it was released. I was such an Olivia Newton-John fan. I begged my mom to buy me the album soundtrack. I nearly wore it out. I still have it to this day. And, I remember those shoes. I was headed to seventh grade that year and ALL the girls had to have a pair of the Candies that Sandy made famous. Can you imagine a bunch of ‘tween girls in the late 70s trying to change classes, going up and down stairs in Sandy’s Candies? Oh, my… ~Vic

Released June 16, 1978 (NYC premiere was June 13), it was based on the 1971 musical created by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Bronte Woodard crafted the screenplay and Randal Kleiser directed. Produced by Robert Stigwood and Allan Carr, it starred John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, Kelly Ward, Didi Conn, Jamie Donnelly, Dinah Manoff, Eve Arden, Frankie Avalon, Joan Blondell, Edd Byrnes, Sid Caesar, Alice Ghostley, Dody Goodman, Sha-Na-Na, Susan Buckner, Lorenzo Lamas, Fannie Flagg, Dick Patterson, Eddie Deezen, Darrell Zwerling, Ellen Travolta, Annette Charles and Dennis Stewart.

Filming Locations:
[1] The opening beach scene was shot at Malibu’s Leo Carrillo State Beach, making explicit reference to From Here to Eternity.
[2] The exterior shots of Rydell High, the Summer Nights musical number and the athletic scenes were shot at Venice High School in Los Angeles, CA.
[3] Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee & Hopelessly Devoted to You, sung at the slumber party, were performed at a private home in East Hollywood.
[4] The drive-in movie scene and the musical number Sandy were shot & performed at Pickwick Drive-In in Burbank, CA (torn down in 1989).
[5] The Frosty Palace (exterior shot), Greased Lightnin’ and Beauty School Dropout were performed at Paramount Studios.
[6] Rydell interior shots and the dance in the gym were filmed at Huntington Park High School in Los Angeles, CA.
[7] The race was filmed at the Los Angeles River‘s dry riverbed, starting at the 6th Street bridge and u-turning after passing the 1st Street bridge.
[8] The carnival scenes, You’re the One That I Want and We Go Together were shot & performed at John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, CA.

Grease IMDb Amazon Image Two

Photo Credit: IMDb & Amazon

Trivia Bits:
♦ Rizzo’s hickeys were real. Stockard Channing said in an interview that Jeff Conaway insisted on applying them himself.
♦ Hopelessly Devoted to You was written and recorded after the movie had wrapped.
♦ Elvis Presley turned down the role of The Guardian Angel in the Beauty School Drop-Out scene.
♦ Due to a zipper breaking, Olivia Newton-John had to be sewn into the trousers she wears in the last sequence (the carnival at Rydell).
♦ Jeff Conaway was so infatuated with Olivia Newton-John, he was tongue-tied whenever she was around. He later married Olivia’s sister, Rona Newton-John.
♦ Danny’s blue windbreaker at the beginning of the film was intended as a nod to Rebel Without a Cause.
♦ Jamie Donnelly had prematurely grey hair, which she dyed black to play Jan. Her hair grew really quickly, so her roots had to be colored in daily with a black crayon.
♦ Rydell High is a reference to teen idol Bobby Rydell who had a million selling hit with Swingin’ School in 1960.
♦ The “blonde pineapple” line was improvised by Barry Pearl.
♦ Olivia Newton-John insisted on a screen test for the role of Sandy. She was concerned that she didn’t have the acting skills and would look too old to be a high school student. The part was originally meant for Susan Dey, who turned it down on her manager’s advice.

The soundtrack was certified 14x Platinum in Australia, Diamond in Canada and 8x Platinum in the UK & the US.

Awards & Nominations

25 responses to “2021 MOVIE DRAFT- ROUND 2-PICK 3- THE HINOEUMA SELECTS- GREASE”

  3. Great pic. This is a movie musical that I just could not digest when I was young, but the more I see it as an adult, the more I appreciate the choreography, professional performances, its seamless energy, and its lasting impact to this day. It is joy “moviefied.”

  4. You could not run away from this movie if you tried at that time. I had three cousins that were sisters…all over their walls, the clothes they war, and what they played….they just got out of the Saturday Night Fever phase and this took it’s place…always liked Olivia!

  5. Yes! I have seen Looker.
    My first time was in reruns when I was much younger – not even remembering the title. Years later I was able to use what clues I could remember AND the internet, I found the title AND bought a copy to watch whenever I wanted.

  6. Pingback: Hans 2021 Movie Draft: Round Two-Pick Three-Grease 1978 « Cosmic Observation·

  7. Well, predictable one of mine would be ‘scooped’ LOL. The one I had penciled in for musicals too but you did a better job reviewing it than I would have. A classic – a real cornerstone of our generation culturally, and a fun movie with a great soundtrack. I don’t know where it would rank on my overall list of favorite movies, but it would be on there .

    • Eek. Sorry Dave. Musicals are a tough category. You just don’t see them much in cinemas, anymore. I’m looking forward to everyone else’s choices for this.

      I don’t really review movies, or music for that matter, though I do appreciate the compliment. Thank you. I’m sort of a “just the facts, ma’am” type. LOL! And, most of the time, if there is a synopsis or summary, I grab someone else’s. I’m terrible at re-inventing wheels. Heh.

  9. My, my, my this is one film my middle school class adored! Alongside The Outsiders. It is strange seeing Travolta take roles like this. Love him in Blow Out, but I am happy he did other films that were different

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